Attitudes and knowledge among obstetrician-gynecologists regarding lesbian patients and their health

Abstract

Objective: The lesbian patient population is underserved. Almost no research has examined the knowledge and attitudes of obstetrician-gynecologists toward lesbian health. Our study sought to address this research gap.

Methods: All 910 obstetrician-gynecologists licensed in Ontario, Canada, were mailed a true-false survey about lesbian health issues, the Homosexuality Attitudes Scale (HAS), and a demographic survey.

Results: Of the 910 surveys, 271 were returned. The mean HAS score was 87.6 (standard deviation [SD] 11.5), indicating an overall positive attitude. The mean knowledge score was 76.0% (SD 9.5), indicating that respondents had adequate knowledge about lesbian health; 22% described their lesbian health knowledge-base as unaware. Most respondents reported lack of education on lesbian health in residency (81%) or medical school (78%). The majority reported a desire for formal education pertaining to lesbian health. There was no correlation between HAS and knowledge scores.

Conclusions: Although our results indicate overall adequate knowledge about lesbian health issues, important knowledge gaps were identified. Medical school and residency training curricula should include formal education about lesbian health issues, particularly because most obstetrician-gynecologists report a desire to receive this information.